Cary District 26 Announces Teacher Layoffs

Cary School District 26 Board of Education cut 14.5 full-time positions for the 2011-12 school year due to economic hardship and declining enrollment.

The school board voted unanimously to approve the employment reduction for the coming school year.

“We’ve had a number of a challenging meetings this year that have involved some very difficult decisions in an effort to right the district’s financial condition," Superintendent Brian Coleman said. "It has not been easy, and at times I know it's very trying on the district’s staff, the board of education, parents and the community.”

“Tonight’s meeting is no exception, like many districts across the state struggling with financial issues, the hardest decisions to make are those that involve staff. For it is these very people that have made District 26 what it is today.”

State law requires all staff dismissals to be completed by April 8.

At the March 14 finance committee meeting, Coleman said staff members maintain job security, if a job is open between now, may or the summer, he's required to called those teachers back if they are qualified.

“Community members are looking at this and it causes all of us to panic,” board member Vicki Pesch said. “When we look at the layoffs of any individuals coming off of last year to increase this, it's unfathomable, and it is very difficult.”   

With the ongoing negotiations between the Board of Education and the Cary Education Association, cost savings need to come from reductions. 

The Board of Education and the association has met two times in March to discuss the teachers contracts for the 2011-2012 school year.

At their March 8 negotiation meeting, a financial expert from the Illinois Education Association came to help bridge the two sides understanding of the administration’s five-year projections and the district's financial situation.

 The board and the association will meet this week to continue negotiations.

Spoerl said hopefully the two sides will come to an agreement before May 1, which is the deadline to decide whether a school actually closes.

The next regular Board of Education meeting will be at 7 p.m. April 25 at .